Clean out and suction gate



June 28, 1960 G. SMITH CLEAN OUT AND SUCTION GATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 001;. 24, 1958 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS June 28, 1960 L. G. SMITH CLEAN OUT AND SUCTION GATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 24, 1958 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent-O 2,942,839 CLEAN OUT AND SUCTION GATE Leonard G. Smith, 2325 Elton Ave., Bakersfield, Calif.

Filed Oct. 24, 1958, Ser. No. 769,445

11 Claims. (Cl. 251-144) :The present invention relates generally to the oil well drilling art and is more particularly concerned with certain new and useful improvements in items of equipearth at the end of a rotating drill pipe, the cuttings and other materials being returned to the surface by means of the circulation of a liquid down through the drill pipe, around the tool, and upwardly around the outside of the drill pipe to the surface. As the tool progresses deeper into the earth, the pressures encountered at the bottom of the hole tend to become ever higher and, in

gre'ssing, it is customary to employ a chemically weighted liquid as the circulating medium. This chemically weighted liquid is commonly known in the art as mud and, throughout the present specification, it is to be understood that wherever this term is used, reference is made to such chemically weighted liquid rather than to the conventional meaning of the term.

In accordance with another aspect of modern oil well drilling by the rotary method, which is also pertinent to an understanding of the present invention, the present trend of such operations in recent years has been in the direction of rendering as much of the equipment as possible to be used in such operations readily portable so that the various items may be easily transported from one drilling site to another for reuse over and over again. Many years ago, it was customary to mix the drilling mud in a simple open pit provided in the ground adjacent the ell. However, in modern times as the efiiciency of the rotary drilling operation has increased, it has become necessary to provide one or more metal tanks to contain the mud so that the composition of the latter may be carefully controlled by the driller. In fact, it is now quite customary to employ a plurality of individual mud tanks for a single drilling operation, the driller control- .ling the actual drilling mud being used at any one time by careful selection from, and intermixing of, the mud from several different tanks.

Upon the completion of a drilling operation, it is, of course, desirable to clean out the mud tanks which have been employed therein and, to this end, a clean out gate is highly desirable. it is also highly desirable that the clean out gate be located as close to the bottom of the tank as possible so that the residual materials may be fully washed from the tank. However, the re-' equipment which can be transported upon the public highorder to control thesepressures while the drilling is pro- "ice ways so that bulky projecting structures upon the already large mud tanks cannot be tolerated.

In the light of the foregoing it is an important object of the present invention to provide a clean out gate for a mud tank of the type described which may be installed at the lowest point of the tank to permit complete cleaning of the latter after use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a clean out gate for a mud tank of the type described which can be installed with substantially a minimum of structure projecting from the tank when in closed condition so as to preserve a minimum overall tank width for compliance with maximum width clearance laws in transport.

further object of the invention is to provide a clean out gate of the type described in which the valve body is arranged to provide positive sealing and the actuating structure is arranged so as to provide positive over-center locking of the valve body in closed position.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a clean out gate of the type described in which the valve body actuating arms are so constructed as to afford *a wide open exit for the tank when the gate is open for cleaning.

An additional object of the invention is to provide 'a mud gate of the type described which may be readily adapted for use as a suction gate to control the flow of drilling mud to the inlet of the usual mud pump.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a clean out gate of the type described which is of relatively simple and rugged construction,rwhich may be inexpensively fabricated and installed in conventional mud tanks, and which will require a minimum of maintenance attention under the usual difiicult conditions of use to which such equipment is put.

The foregoing together with other and further objects and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following detailed specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures of drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a transverse vertical cross-sectional view, foreshortened in the vertical dimension, taken through a portion of a mud tank'embodying a preferred formof clean out gate in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the portion of the mud tank and clean out gate illustrated in Figure 1, taken from the inside of the tank looking in the direction of the arrows 22 in Figure 1 and also considerably foreshortened in the vertical dimension;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical cross-sectional 'view taken through a portion of a mud tank illustrating a modified form of the gate adapted for use as a suction gate; and

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the suction gate shown in Figure 3 looking from the .right hand side of the latter figure.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings, and in particular to Figure 1 thereof, there is illustrated a mud tank generally designated by reference numeral 1'0 provided with closed, plane side walls 12 and 14, a closed plane bottom 16, and an open top 18. As will be evident from a comparison of Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, the top 18 of the wall 14 is provided with a simple straight edge whereas the top edge of the .wall 12 is preferably cut down and welded or otherwise suitably attached to a tubular member 20. The tubular member 20 serves to strengthen the mud tank along its longer dimension, from which it may be understood that the wall 14 may be thought of as an end wall having a, shorter horizontal dimension than that of the side wall 12. 'It will also be observed that the top of the tubular member 20 prefer ably terminates level with the top 18 of the end wall 14.

' wise-suitably secured an open rectangular fitting designated by reference numeral 24. It is to be particularly noted that both figures of the drawing are considerably distorted by reason of the forcshortening of the overall structure: inthe vertical dimension. and that, in actual practice, the fitting 24 is installed at substantially the very bottom of the tank 10 with its longer dimension extending a substantial distance along the floor of the tank so as to permit complete cleaning. The horizontal dimensions pf the fitting 24 are such as to permit a slight adjustment during installation so that the maximum width of the tank and fitting with the clean out gate completely installed will not..exceed the permissible maximum horizontal dimensions forroad transport.

7 As perhaps best illustrated in Figure 1, the outer edge -26 of the fitting 24 constitutes a valve seat, the interior -'of the'fitting24 providing a passage 28 opening from the interior to the exterior of the tank 10. A rectangular plate 30 is mounted for movement exteriorly of the tank' 10'in' such manner as to'open' and close the passage 28 -and, to this end, is provided with a synthetic rubber gasket '32 which overlies the plate 30 and is held in place by means of an inner plate 34. The assembly comprising the outer plate 30,. gasket 32 and inner plate 34 thus constitutes a valve body, the assembly being held together "by means of a bolt 36 and nut 38, the bolt 36 being attached'to an operating. arm 40 to be further described below. While I have described thus far only a single bolt 36, nut 38 and operating arm 40, it will be understood by reference to Figure 2 that the mounting means preferably comprises two such mounting arm assemblies sothat the opening and closing motion of the valve body against the valve seat or outer edge 26 of the fitting 24 will proceed without any shifting or tendency of the uniform swinging movement of the plate 30 as the shaft 44 is rotated.

;As best illustrated in Figure 1, each of the arms 40 is .rounded at its outer end so that the valve body assembly comprising the outer plate 30, inner plate 34 and gasket end of a connecting rod 54 which extends upwardly to the operating mechanism to be further described below. It may be noted at this point that the connecting rod 54 is provided with a threaded member 56 at its top end which receives the threaded portion 58 of a rod extension '60 in such manner that the overall length of'the connecting rod 54 and its extension 60 may be conveniently adjusted.

Along the top edge of the tank wall, which in this case is provided by the tubular member 20, there is provided an upper bearing 62 which is welded or otherwise suitably secured to the top edge ofthe tank as by means of a bracket 64. It will be particularly noted that the axis of the upper bearing 62 is substantially horizontal-and is likewise substantially at right angles to the horizontal axes of the lower bearings 42. journalled within the upper bearing 62 and is provided with an operating handle 68 welded or otherwise securely attached'to its outer end. At its inner end, the shaft 66 is provided with a crank arm 70 securely attached thereto as by welding or the like and at its upper end the crank arm 70 is bent double and suitably apertured to receive a bolt 72 which also passes through the apertured upper end of the rod extension 60 and is held in place as by means of a nut 74. It is to be particularly noted that the handle 68 and crank arm. 70 are radially angularly spaced at slightly less than ninety degrees so that, as the operating handle 68 ismoved from one limit position to the other,

the crank 70 provides an over-center locking action to retain the gate or valve body fully closed. Inother words, when the operating handle. is placed as indicated in full lines in Figure 2, at which time it is in substantially horizontal position abutting the top edge of the tank wallor tubular member 20, the pivot pin or bolt 72 lies to the left of the axis of the shaft 66 as shown in Figure 2, thereby firmly retaining the rod 54 in its uppermost position and, through the interconnection of the latter with the lever 48, shaft 44 and operating arms 40 serving to maintain the plate 30 and gasket 32 in close sealing engagement with the valve seat formed by the edges 26 of the fitting 24.

Referring now particularly to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings, there is illustrated a modified form of mud gate in accordance with the present invention which is particularly adaptedfor use as a suction gate rather than a clean out gate. As shown in these figures; a portion of a conventional mud tank is designated generally by reference numeral 10 and includes side walls 12 and 14, a

' bottom 16 and an open top 18 as-previously described in .32 may be capable of some slight adjusting movement,

so as to afiord uniform pressure of the gasket 32 upon the edges 26 of the fitting 24, to provide positive sealing. Each of the arms 40 is also preferably provided with an ,ofiset intermediate portionas indicated by reference numeral 46 so that, when the gate is fully open, the U- shaped arms 40 will be positioned as illustrated in dotted lmes in Figure 1' thereby causing the plate or valve body 'to be elevated clear of the fitting 24 to lie at one side clear of the passage or opening 28.

The means for rotating the shaft 4410 cause the arms 40 to move the valve body or plate 30 toward and from open and closed position against the edges 26 of the fitting. 24 is seen to comprise a lever 48 which is rigidly secured as by welding or the like to the central portion pf the shaft 44 intermediate the bearings 42. The lever Operating limit positions as also indicated by full and dotted lines. At its outer end, the lever 48 is pivotally connected as at 50 to a clevis 52 provided at the lower connection with Figures 1 and 2. A tubular member 20 is also provided adjacent the top of the mud tank 10, serving to strengthen the longer wall of the tank in a manner previously described.

'of an'inclined valve seat 25 corresponding to the valve manner and, likewise, the suction pipe 27 may pass through the end wall 14 of the mud tank 10 in a similar fluid tight manner, the specific details of which are well known to those skilled in the art and need not be described in detail herein.

. Thevalve seat 25 is adapted to be closed by means of a'valve body comprising outer and inner plates 29 and 31, held together by means of bolts 33 and nuts 35 clamping .therebetween a suitable gasket37 similar to the gasket 32 previously described. It will be understood that the 1marginal edges of the gasket37 may be pressed against the valve seat 25 in such manner as to close the passage A second shaft 66 is rotatably.

entering from the interior of the mud tank into the fitting 23 and suction pipe 27.

. Still referring to Figures 3 and 4, the valve body comprising the assembly of elements 29 to 37 is mounted upon apair of operating arms 39 which may be welded or otherwise suitably secured to the outer ends or heads of the bolts 33. The arms 39, in turn, are secured at their opposite ends to the respective outer ends of a shaft 41 rotatably channeled within a pair of bearings 43 welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the top of the fitting 23 adjacent the valve seat 25. Rotation of the shaft 41 within the bearings 43 will thus serve to actuate the operating arms 39 in such manner as to move the valve body 29-37 towards and away from the valve seat 25.

In the modified form of the device as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, it will be noted that the operating arms 39 are shaped slightly diiferently than the operating arms 40 of the structure illustrated in. Figures 1 and 2. This difference in structure is permitted by. reason of the fact that the valve body in Figures 3 and 4 opens away'from the valve seat 25 so that no problem is presented with respect to providing an adequate opening into the interior of the fitting 23. As in the form of the device first described, the shaft 41 may be rotated by means of a lever 47 which is rigidly secured in any convenient manner to the central portion of the shaft 41 between the bearings 43. In the case of the device illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, it will'be noted that the lever 47 extends at considerably less than right angles to the operating arms 39. At its outer end, the lever 47 is pivotally connected as at 49'to a clevis 51 provided at the lower end of a connecting rodfi53 which extends upwardly to an over-center locking mechanism similar to that previously described in connection with the device of Figures 1 and 2. In like manner, the rod 53 is provided with a threaded connection 55 to permit adjustment of the length thereof. The top end of the rod 53 isprov'ided with a clevis 57 pivotally connectedas at '59 to a crank arm 61 which is angularly disposed with reference to the operating handle 63.

The crank 61 and operating handle 63 are welded or otherwise suitably secured adjacent the opposite ends of a. shaft 65 which, in turn, is rotatably mounted in a pair of :bearings 67 adjacent the top 18 of the mud tank 10. The bearings 67 are provided in brackets 69 which are welded or otherwise suitably attached to an angle shaped support 71 rigidly secured at its inner end to the tubular member 20. It is believed that the operation of the device will be readily apparent from the description thus far so that no further elaboration is necessary. Essentially, in the device as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the operating handle 68 may be moved from a position lying substantially horizontal along the top edge of the tubular member 20 to a position approximately vertical and, if desired, a suitable chain (not shown) may be employed to retain the operating handle in raised position. Such movement of the operating handle 68 imparts a movement to the gate or valve body'from the full line position to the dotted line position in Figure 1. In the full line position of Figure 1, the over-center locking action of the operating handle assembly serves to retain the valve in fully closed position whereas operation of the operating handle to the substantially vertical position, by means of 'theoffset or non-linear shape of the supporting arms 40 'servesto elevate or move the valve body clear to one side of the clean out opening so as to provide unobst'ructed egress from the interior to the exterior of the tank through the opening 28.

The operation of the suction gate as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 is also believed to be apparent from the description previously given and, in part at least, is similar'to the operation of the clean out gate of Figures 1 and 2. It will be particularly noted that, as shown in Figure 3, when the operating handle 63 occupies a gen- Senlly; horizontal position along the upper edge 18 of the mud tank 10, the pivotal connection 59 lies slightly to the right of a line joining the pivot point 49 and the axis of the shaft 65 so that the entire assembly is slightly over-center and is thus held firmly in locked position. The crank arm 61 is so arranged as to rest against the vertical face of the angle 71, the latter serving as a stop or limit position. When the operating handle 63 is lifted upwardly or to the right in Figure 3, the crank arm. 61 acts to lift the rod 53 and, through the connection of the latter with the lever 47, shaft 41 and operating arms 39, the valve body 2937 is moved upwardly and away from the inclined valve seat 25. It is to be particularly noted that, as in the case of the clean out gate illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the suction gate, having a rectangu- 7' lat opening, may be. arranged to pick up the flow-of mud from the tank at the lowest possible point within the latter. 5 i

While I have shown and describedjherejin solelyfor the purpose of illustration a. preferred embodimentof the present invention, it will be obvious that numerous modifications, alterations and deviationsiwill occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or 'scopeof the invention as defined in the following claims. t

I claim: a

'1. In a mud tank of the type used in the rotary drilling of oil wells and having closed, plane bottom and side walls and an open top, a clean out gate comprising an open, rectangular fitting secured ina corresponding aperture at the bottom of one of said tank wallsto provide a passage opening from the interior to the exterior of said tank, a rectangular plate mounted for movement ex-' te'riorly of said tank toopen and close said passage including a synthetic rubber gasket overlying said plate and engageable between the latter and the exterior edges of said fitting, mounting means for said plate comprising a horizontally spaced pair of bearings mounted adjacent the'top inner edge of said fitting, a shaft rotatably journalled in said bearings, a pair of substantially parallel arms secured at one end to the respective outer ends of said shaft and secured at their opposite ends to said plate, a lever attached to said shaft between said bearings and extending substantially at more than right angles to said arms, an upper bearing mounted adjacent the top edge of said one tank wall having its axis substantially horizontal and substantially at right angles to the axes of said pair of bearings, a second shaft journalled in said upper bearing having an operating handle secured at one end and a crank arm attached to theopposite end thereof, a rod pivotally connected at its opposite ends to the free ends of said lever and said crank arm respectively, and means for adjusting the length of said rod, said handle and said crank arm being radially angularly spaced at slightly less than ninety degrees to provide overcenter locking of said gate when said handle is in substantially horizontal position abutting the top edge of said tank wall, and said first mentioned arms being of substantially U shape whereby said plate is elevated clear of said fitting openingwhen said handle is in raised position. v a V 2. In a mud tank of the type used in the rotary drilling of oil Wells and having bottom and side walls and an open top, a clean out gate comprising an open fitting secured in a corresponding aperture at the bottom of one of said tank Walls to provide a passage opening from the interior to the exterior of said tank, a plate mounted for movement exteriorly of said tank to open and close said passage including a synthetic rubber gasket overlying said plate and engageable between the latter and the exterior edges of said fitting mounting means for said plate comprising a horizontally spaced pair of bearings mounted adjacent the top inner edge of said fitting, a shaft rotatably journalled in said bearings, a pair of substantially parallel arms secured at one end to the respective outer ends of said shaft and secured at their oppo- 7 said crank arm being radially angularly spaced at slightly' less than ninety degrees to provide over-center locking of said -ga'te when said handle is in substantially hori 2mm positionabu tting the top edge of said tank wall, and said-first'mentioned arms being of substantially-U shape whereby said plate is elevated clear of said fitting opening-when'said handle is in raisedposition.

- 3. Ina-mud tank of the type used in the rotary drilling of 'oilwells' and having bottom and side walls and an open-top, a clean outgate comprising 'an' open fitting secured in' a corresponding aperture in one of said tank 8 shaft; means for rotating said shaft, a'valve body attached to said arm means for movement by the latter toward and away from "s'aidjvalve seat to close'and open said gate, said'arm means being positioned within'said tank when the valve body is seated on'the valve seat, said arm .m'eans beingjalso non-linear in shape whereby said valve body is; moved to one side clear of said valve seat when said shaft is rotated to open said gate, and means for releasably locking said shaft in at least one positiom P 6. A gate for a tank having side walls, a substantially flat floor and an aperture in one of said side walls, said aperture havingits lowermost edge closely adjacent the floor of'said tank, a valve seat secured in said aperture, arm means pivotally attached to said valve seat, a valve body attached to said armImeanS for movement by the latter toward and away from said valve seat to close and walls-to pr'ovide' a'passage opening from the interior to the exterior of said tank, a plate mounted for movement exteriorly of said tank to open and close said passage includin'g'a gasket-engageable with the exterior edges of said fitting, mounting means for said plate comprising bearing means mounted adjacent the top inner edge of said fitting,- a shaft rotatably journalled intsaid bearing means, a'p'air of substantially parallel arms secured at one end to the respective outer ends of said shaft and secured at their opposite ends to said plate, a lever attached to said shaft and extending radially angularly from said arms, upper bearing mounted adjacent the top edge of said'one tank wall, a second shaft journalled in said upper bearing having an operating handle secured atone end and a crank'arm attached to the opposite end thereof, and a rod pivotally connected at its opposite ends to the free ends of said lever and said crank arm respectively, said handle and said crank arm being radially angularly' spaced at slightly less than ninety degrees to provide over-center locking of said gate when said handle is;in substantially horizontal position abutting the top edge of said tank wall, and said first mentioned arms being of substantially U shape whereby said plate is elevated clear of said fitting opening when said handle is in raised position. i V

4. -In a mud tank of the type used in the rotary drilling of oil wells and having bottom and side walls and an open top, a clean out gate comprising an open fitting secured ina corresponding aperture in one of said tank wallsto provide a passage opening from the'interior to the exterior of said tank, a plate mounted for movement exten'orly of said tank to' open and close said passage, mounting means forsaid'plate comprising bearing means on said fitting, a shaft rotatably journalled in said bearing means, a'pair of arms secured at one end to said shaft and at their opposite ends to said plate, a lever attached to said'shaft and extending radially angularly from said arms, an upper bearing mounted on said one tank wall, asecond shaft journalled in said upper bearing having 'an"operating handle and a crank arm attached thereto;

and means pivotally interconnecting said lever and said arm, said handle and said crank arm being radially angularly spaced to provide over-center locldng of said gate! when saidhandle is in one limit position, and said mentioned arms being of substantially U shape whereby-said plate is elevated clear of said fitting opening when said handle is in itsjother limit position.

" 5. A gate for a'tank h av ing side walls, asubstantially fiat floorand an aperture in one of said side walls, said aperture ,having its lowermost edge closely adjacent the 'floorjof said tank, a valve seat secured in said aperture,

bearing. means on said valve seat, a shaft rotatably jour F 'nalled in said bearing means, arm means attached to said open said gate, said arm 'meansibeing' positioned within said tank when the valve body is seated on the valve, seat, said arm means being also non-linear in shape. whereby said'valve' body is moved to'one side clear'of said valve seat'when said arm means are actuated to open said gate, and means for releasably locking said valve body in closed position." i V 7. A gate for a tank having side walls, a substantially flat floor and an aperture in one of said side walls, said aperture having its lowermost edgeclosely adjacent the floor of said tank, a valve seat secured in said aperture, arm means pivotally attached to said valve seat, and a valve body attached to said arm means for movement by the latter toward and away from said valve seat to close and open said gate, said am means being positioned within said-tank when the valve body is seated on the valve seat, said armjmeans being also non-linear in shape whereby said valve body is moved to one side clear of said valve seat when said arm means are actuated to open said gate. 7

8. In a tank having an aperture in a side wall thereof with'.its lower margin substantially at the floor level of said tank, a valve body, and'at least one arm operatively mounting said valve body on said tank for movement toward and away fromtsaid aperture to close and'open the latter, said arm being wholly within said tank when said valve body is closed and having an offset intermediate portion adapted to lie within said aperture when the latter is open whereby said valve body is moved to one side clear of said aperture.

9. A mud gate for use with a mud tank comprising a generally box shaped fitting having at least one end open to define a rectangular valve seat adapted to lie-adjacent the bottom of the tank the bottom of said box resting substantially on said tank bottom with the longer dimension of said seat substantially parallel to the tank bottom, first bearing means on said fitting above said valve seat and within said tank, a first shaft rotatably journalled in said first bearing means, a pair of arms secured at one end to the respective outer ends of said first shaft, a rectangular valve body attached to the opposite ends of said arms for movement by the latter toward and away from said valve seat to close and open said gate, a lever attached to said first shaft and extending radially angularly from said arms, second bearing means mounted adjacent the top of the tank, a second shaft journalled V in said second bearing means having an operating handle and a crank arm attached thereto, and means'pivotally interconnecting said lever and said crank arm, said handle and said crank arm being radially angularly spaced to provide over-center locking of said gate when said handle is in one limit position. i g

10. A mud gate for use with a mud tank comprising a generally box shaped fitting having at least one end open to define a rectangular valve seat adapted to lie adjacent the bottom of the tank the bottom of said box resting substantially on said tank bottom, arm means pivotally mounted at one end on said fitting above said valve seat and within said tank, a rectangular valve body attached to the opposite end of said arm means for movement by the latter toward and away from said valve seat to close and open said gate, a lever, means connecting said arm means and said lever for joint rotation, bearing means mounted adjacent the top of the tank, a shaft journalled in said bearing means having an operating handle and a crank arm attached thereto, and means pivotally interconnecting said lever and said crank arm, said handle and said crank arm being radially angularly spaced to provide over-center locking of said gate when said handle is in one limit position.

11. A mud gate for use with a mud tank comprising means defining a generally rectangular valve seat adapted to lie adjacent the bottom of the tank the bottom of said box resting substantially on said tank bottom, arm means pivotally mounted on said seat above said valve seat and within said tank, a rectangular valve body attached to said arm means for movement by the latter toward and away from said valve seat to close and open said gate, a lever, means connecting said arm means and said lever for joint rotation, an operating handle pivotally mounted adjacent the top of the tank, a crank arm attached to said handle for joint rotation therewith, and means pivotally interconnecting said lever and said crank arm, said handle and said crank arm being radially angularly spaced to provide over-center locking of said gate when said handle is in one limit position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 316,567 Pierson Apr. 28, 1885 717,450 Prowant Dec. 30, 1902 800,782 Adams Oct. 3, 1905 826,891 Schneible July 24, 1906 1,074,734 Neilan Oct. 7, 1913 1,108,455 Malquist Aug. 25, 1914 1,232,425 Henrici July 3, 1917 1,521,247 Lund Dec. 30, 1924 2,756,762 Nash July 31, 1956 2,815,289 Murray Dec. 3, 1957 

